“If you are going to co-exist in a world in which there really is diversity, developing the frameworks and virtues that make it possible for that type of understanding seems like an important contribution of the academy.”

– Richard Shweder

With the ongoing conversations taking place at educational institutions about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, HxA is committed to exploring what values are driving these initiatives, what the goals of these initiatives should be, and what works and what doesn’t – all in an effort to deepen understanding across divides and discover actionable solutions. We hope these materials help you engage with our thinking on this topic and encourage you to share them with colleagues.

Events:

• DEI Training Programs: What Do They Aim For? What Should They Aim For?  with Roslyn Artis, Joseph Guarneri, George Yancey, and moderated by Musa al-Gharbi.
• A Deep Dive into DEI: Research, Interventions, and Alternatives with Edward Chang, Frank Dobbin, Garrett Johnson, and moderated by Ilana Redstone.
• From Academia to Wall Street: Discussing DEI at Business Schools with Ravi Kudesia, John Hasnas, Alison Taylor, and moderated by Debi Ghate.
• A Conversation with John McWhorter about Black intellectual diversity
• A Critique of Anti-racism in Rhetoric with Erec Smith
• Fighting Racism Without Shaming with Irshad Manji

Blog Posts:

• ‘Diversity Training’ Doesn’t Work. This Might, by Musa al-Gharbi
• What Yale Law School Teaches — Inadvertently — About the Appropriate Role of Diversity Officials, by Andrew Koppelman
• Disputes Over DEI Depend on How You Define Fairness by Eric Silver and John Iceland
• Diversity Is Not Enough: Why Collective Intelligence Requires Both Diversity and Disagreement by Ravi S. Kudesia
• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Statements: Compassion Filter or Ideological Test? by Alex Small
• The Friendship Model and DEI Initiatives by Stephen Napier
• Rethinking Diversity Training, by Chris Feguson
• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in K-12 Professional Development, by Samantha Hedges
• Diversity-Related Training: What is it Good For?, by Musa al-Gharbi
• Racial Diversity and Viewpoint Diversity: A False Dichotomy, by Joseph Guarneri
• Critical Theory or Common Humanity? The Case for a Liberal Approach to Social Studies Education, by Samantha Hedges and Sam Merrick
• What Can Help African-American Students Feel Included? by Chris Martin
• HxA Resources for Understanding Different Kinds of Diversity by Jonathan Haidt

Podcast Episodes:

• ‘Diversity Training’ Doesn’t Work. This Might. – In this blog post and podcast episode, Musa al-Gharbi, Sociologist at Columbia University shares his thoughts on the state of diversity trainings in higher education today.
• White Fragility Is Not The Answer. Honest Diversity Is – In this blog post and podcast episode, Irshad Manji, an HxA Advisory Council member and founder of the Moral Courage Project, offers a new, compassionate approach to address the challenges that come with diversity.
• True Diversity Requires Generosity of Spirit – In this blog post and podcast episode, Jonathan Haidt, HxA’s co-founder and board chair, calls for patience, generosity, and a dash of humility, especially towards those we think to be doing us wrong.
• Why Ibram Kendi’s Anti-Racism is so Flawed – In this blog post and podcast episode, Jeffrey Aaron Snyder, Associate Professor of Educational Studies at Carleton College, presents his thoughts on anti-racism initiatives.
• Multiculturalism and Diversity – Rick Shweder, cultural anthropologist at University of Chicago’s Department of Comparative Human Development, is author and editor of numerous books including Thinking Through Cultures: Expeditions in Cultural Psychology and Why Do Men Barbecue? Recipes for Cultural Psychology. His recent research examines the scopes and limits of pluralism, the tension between diversity and equality, and the multicultural challenge in Western liberal democracies.
• Unifying and Divisive Identities – Lucia Martinez Valdivia, associate professor of English and Humanities at Reed College, discusses the limited range of identities typically addressed in higher education and how identity can unify students on a college campus.
• Becoming Culturally Intelligent– Maria Dixon Hall manages the Campus Cultural Intelligence program at Southern Methodist University. She has a background in multiple disciplines, having earned a Master of Divinity, a masters of theology, and a PhD in Organizational Communication and Religion. Her work in cultural intelligence differs from the typical diversity training that’s done on college campuses.
• Cultural Competence Training – A conversation with Craig Frisby, co-editor of Cultural Competence in Applied Psychology: An Evaluation of Current Status and Future Directions, and Josh Phillips, the author of a chapter in the book titled “The Culture of Poverty: On Individual Choices and Infantilizing Bureaucracies.”

Tools and Resources:

• Responding Constructively to Mandated Diversity Trainings. This tip sheet offers five pieces of practical advice to constructively engage campus communities in discussion about the unintended negative consequences of mandated diversity training, including suggestions for more effectively advancing the goal of creating a more positive and welcoming environment for people from historically marginalized and underrepresented groups.
• Classroom Discussion Guide: “Don’t Label Me: How to Do Diversity Without Inflaming the Culture Wars,” by Irshad Manji
• Not a Monolith: Race and Viewpoint Diversity Resource Guide.

We’ve also created a visual road map to guide our members and friends through our events, materials, and past and future work related to DEI.